Auxiliary drier cabinet



Sept. 23, 1958 R. w. JARRELL AUXILIARY DRIER CABINE'I Filed May 16, 1955 n l4 f INVENTOR. RUTH W. JARRELL.

United States Patent Office 2,8523% Patented Sept. 23, 195$ AUXILIARY DRIER CABINET Ruth W. Jarreli, Towson, Md.

Application May 16, 1955, Serial No. 508,509

2 Claims. (Cl. 34-163) This invention relates to atmospheric driers and more particularly to those intended for the suspension and dry ing of small items such as stockings, gloves, sox, handkerchiefs, and other small articles of fabric.

The invention has for an object the provision of a new and improved cabinet for the drying of small fabric articles that will avoid some of the disadvantages and limitations of the previous art.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved cabinet for the suspension and drying of small fabric articles, that will include a rack that will keep the items separated, and at the same time afford convenience in the handling of the latter when the items are hung up or removed from the cabinet.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved drying cabinet for small fabric articles that will be compact and adaptable for placement in a clothes closet without interfering with the usual contents which are hung up therein. 1

An additional object of the invention is to provide a new and improved drying cabinet for small fabric articles that will suspend them freely of each other and include means in the structure of the cabinet for collecting any excess moisture that may drip from them.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved cabinet for hanging and drying small articles therein, that will include a rack or frame for holding them that can swing freely on hinges to facilitate its use; that will enclose the articles when stored therein so'they cannot be disarranged or contacted, and also ventilation means provided for effective and expeditious drying.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as it is more fully outlined.

This invention has been developed to provide a drying cabinet suitable for placement in a conventional clothes closet or against a wall of a room, so that gloves, stockings and other small items of clothing and fabric can be placed in it without interfering with the usual clothing hung up in there. To accomplish this the cabinet has been made shallow so as to take up as little room as possible and still at the same time, afford ample space for the articles to be dried and suspended in it. Stockings and gloves are hung over the rods of a rack so they will lay fiat thereon and have more width than bulkiness. The rack rods are arranged in rows suitably spaced vertically and staggered out of line, to keep the items of the upper rows outof alignment with those lower down. This allows the excess moisture in the articles to drip freely down and collect in a pan or trough provided at the bottom of the cabinet. Ventilation is arranged for by providing lowered openings in the walls and door of the cabinet. The rack is suspended on studs secured near the top of the cabinet and readily lifts up and out when the door of the cabinet is opened and it is raised manually. To make the cabinet portable and suitable for immediate use when travelling, yet adapted for secure attachment to the door or wall of a clothes closet, suction cups are employed on the cabinet for supporting it. To guard against spilling of water collecting in the pan, blotting paper or other suitable absorbent is used as a lining for the latter, and also serves to expedite the evaporation.

For a better understanding of the invention and the objects thereof, reference is made to the accompanying drawings. These drawings in conjunction. with the following description illustrate the invention; explain its principles and emphasize the features that are inherent in it, and distinguish it from the prior art.

In the drawings:

Figure l. is a perspective view of an auxiliary drying cabinet embodying this invention, with its door open;

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken transversely through the cabinet shown in Figure 1, on line 2--2 thereof, with the door in closed position;

Figure 3 is a rear view in elevation of the cabinet, shown on a smaller scale; and

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the cabinet with the door in closed position, part of the lower portion of the cabinet being broken away.

Similar reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, in which a cabinet 10 is indicated, the structure is preferably of rectangular form made relatively small in depth but providing ample room for stocking, gloves, and similar fabric materials and articles to be hung in there flattened out. The cabinet is provided with a door 11 suspended vertically on spring hinges at the side, so that normally it tends to stay shut. The door is made of sheet material with the edges bent in to stiffen them. Likewise the front plate 12 of the cabinet is of sheet material with the edges 13 bent in at the opening 14 left in it for the door to close in. The door has horizontal rigid louvers 15 stamped in it outwardly to ventilate the interior of the cabinet when the door is closed. The door 11 has a handle 16 mounted on its exterior face for its manual operation. The back wall 17 of the cabinet has a series of holes 18 in it to assist in the ventilation and through which the flow of air is not impeded, because of the space left by rubber vacuum cups 19 mounted at the rear of this wall 17. The vacuum cups securely hold the cabinet to the door of a closet yet permit removal when desired. The cups do not injure the closet door and avoid the need for nails, bolts or screws and the tools to install them.

The bottom of the cabinet is closed in like atrough and is made water tight to catch any moisture or water dripping from the articles suspended in the cabinet. This trough 20 is shown with a lining 21 of blotting or absorbing material to catch the drippings, soak them up so they will not tend to spill from the trough, and at the same time increase its facility to evaporate this water, partly by capillary attraction and partly by increased evaporation area exposed to the air. The hanger for holding the articles to be dried in the cabinet consists of a frame having a pair of separated and parallel flat side pieces or bars 22 forming the sides, and with rods 23 crossing trans versely and mounted between them. The rods may be round or otherwise in cross-section and they are held to the bars by insertion of their ends in holes, welded or otherwise afiixed thereto in a conventional manner. The arrangement of the rods is staggered so the articles can be hung with as little interference for drying, as seems feasible. The upper end portions of the bars 22 have L-shaped slots 24 that permit their installation or removal from studs 25 with a minimum amount of trouble, and yet secure them so they will be easily disconnected under normal conditions. The studs are permanently fastened to the upper portions of the side walls 26 of the cabinet and project just far enough into the bars to hold them in the proper hanging position. This arrangement allows the hanger to swing outwardly as on hinges, and the articles placed or removed from the rods 23.

The material of which the cabinet and its components are made, is preferably of stainless steel, aluminum, plastic or other suitable non-oxidizing material, so the structure can present an attractive appearance and at the same time avoid staining the articles suspended therein. The use of wire to make the rack instead of side bars and rods is considered optional.

The invention can be made light and compact. It is mountable quickly on a wall or door because of the vacuum cups, and avoids any complications in installa' tion by reason of the use of tools or implements to attach or remove it. It offers effective action in the drying of small fabric articles because it is well ventilated. The removal or mounting of the hanger rack is easy and can be done without unduly disturbing the articles hanging on its rods. The danger of spilling the water or drippings collected in the trough or pan 20 is avoided by the absorbent lining 21 especially when taking the cabinet down off its supporting surface. The cabinet is conveniently portable, and its value to travellers staying at hotels and hostels, where rinsing out or minor washing of stockings and the like for cleansing and drying overnight becomes desirable is considerable. The unsightly appearance of wet stockings, gloves and other articles strung up to dry in a bath room or other room of a domicile as frequently occurs can be avoided with the use of this invention, and in its place an ornament of aesthetic attraction and practical utility substituted.

While but one general form of the invention is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, it is not desired to limit this application for patent to this particular form as it is appreciated that other forms of construction could be made that would use the same principles and come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed is:

1. A drying cabinet, comprising, a structure of limited depth including an opening with a door for closing off and allowing access to its interior, said structure being arranged with a water-tight trough at its bottom, a hanging rack with horizontal rods transversely arranged between side pieces for the hanging of small fabric articles thereon, projecting means in said structure for suspending said rack from the walls thereof and allowing it to hang vertically, said rack being an'anged to swing outwardly through the opening for mounting and removing fabric articles therefrom, means including suction caps for attaching said structure to a flat surface mounted on the back of said structure, said door being arranged with louvers for ventilating said interior of said structure, said side pieces being arranged with slots for enabling said rack to be readily attached and detached from said projecting means, said rods on said side pieces being arranged in staggered form over one another to enable said articles to hang and dry in different planes, and a lining of absorbent material in said trough for soaking up the drippings from said articles during the drying thereof.

2. A drying cabinet, comprising, a structure of limited depth including an opening with a door for closing ofli and allowing access to its interior, said structure being arranged with a water-tight trough at its bottom; a hanging rack with horizontal rods transversely arranged between side pieces for the hanging of small fabric articles thereon; projecting means in said structure for suspending said rack from the walls thereof and allowing it to hang vertically, said rack being arranged to swing outwardly through the opening for mounting and removing said fabric articles, means including suction caps for attaching said structure to aflat surface mounted on the back of said structure, said door being arranged with louvers for ventilating the interior of said structure, said side pieces being arranged with slots for enabling said rack to be readily attached and detached from said projecting means, said rods on said side pieces being arranged in staggered form over one another to enable said articles to hang and dry in different planes, and a lining of absorbent material in said trough for soaking up the drippings from said articles during the drying thereof, said lining being removable and extending high up the Walls of said trough to facilitate the evaporation of said drippings.

References Cited in the file of this patent, UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,946,386 Buschman Feb. 6, 1934 2,377,255 McCauley May 29, 1945 2,618,076 Miller Nov. 18, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 377,357 Great Britain July 28, 1932 

